Tyler
Whitaker

Arizona recruit. Whitaker is impressive to stand next to at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds with lean defined strength throughout a frame that still looks somewhat wiry with room to add even more strength in the future. He began the day by blazing a 6.5 60-yard dash time on the laser (I had 6.47 by hand) in which his quick start and long graceful strides were on full display. His plus-athleticism provides for a fluid stroke at the plate, and he was near or at the top of almost every Blast category including an eye-opening 87% on-plane efficiency and a group-leading 71.4 hard hit percentage. The bat speed and controlled aggression were big takeaways as he remains balanced throughout impact with minimal effort while still producing loud contact and high exit velocities (up to 102.64 mph per Trackman). He effortlessly worked gap-to-gap throughout batting practice with a somewhat fluid load (there is a late hitch of the hands prior to pursuit) that is well-connected between upper and lower-half. Any abruptness to the hands load is quickly made up for by the bat speed and loud contact. Whitaker battled for multiple hits in the live action demonstrating some ability to change planes, and though the stride foot tended to go open, there is lots to like about his upside. Overall, Whitaker built a strong case for being the top prospect in Nevada, and is likely to have MLB scouts attentive to his production all spring.

8-11-2018
Arizona recruit. Listed at 6-foot-4, 180-pounds, Whitaker has a lean and athletic frame, and remains compact throughout a polished, repeatable delivery. Working uptempo throughout, Whitaker showed advanced feel for three pitches including an 85-87 fastball that he controlled in the zone, a 75-77 breaking ball with 11/5 shape and multi-tier break, as well as a changeup that has a chance to be a plus-pitch in the future that he showed confidence in at 78-79. What stood out the most about Whitaker was his ability to change speeds and locations while having a plan for each hitter.